Signs of walnut exports from Chile coming back on track

30-May-2025 12:55 PM

Santiago. In Chile, a country located in South America, walnut crops suffered significant losses last year due to adverse conditions and natural disasters, resulting in a sharp decline in both production and exports.

However, the current year shows signs of improvement in both production and export performance, supported by favorable growing conditions and strong international demand.

Walnut production in Chile is expected to reach 1.68 lakh tonnes this year. The new marketing season has already begun, and in just the first month, walnut exports have more than doubled compared to the same period last year, reaching 2,755 tonnes.

Turkey emerged as the largest buyer, with exports there increasing more than threefold. Exports to Italy rose by over one and a half times, while shipments to Morocco increased by 6 percent.

Indian buyers, who had shown limited interest last year, are now showing significantly increased activity. Exports to Spain and Peru have also risen notably.

In 2023, Chile had a strong walnut harvest of about 1.82 lakh tonnes and successfully exported most of it due to minimal domestic consumption.

A similar trend is expected this year. Although exports of new-season walnuts began about five weeks ago, the volume is still slightly lower than in 2023.

Last year, more than 2,500 tonnes were shipped to Turkey alone, along with around 1,500 tonnes to India and 1,400 tonnes to Morocco.

This year, Chile has exported 1,30,225 kg of walnuts to India, 9,95,725 kg to Turkey, 8,76,680 kg to Italy, 2,39,000 kg to Morocco, and 1,52,425 kg to Spain. Other notable importers include Vietnam, Peru, England, Ecuador, and Lithuania.